Part Of Your Wool
After returning from their long honeymoon, Nick and Judy were having a peaceful scroll across the downtown of Zootopia. They were on their way to have afternoon tea during a chilly but calm afternoon. "Which café should we go into?" Judy asked her husband. "Your choice. Some place where they serve anything with blueberries, preferably", Nick said. At the street where they arrived were several cafes stacked next to each other. While looking at which one they would pick, Judy noticed something strange at the darkest corner on one of the cafes. A familiar looking sheep was sitting in the shadows with a coffee mug on her paw. This could be none other than the former assistant mayor Bellwether, Nick and Judy´s first and most devious enemy. "Look, it´s Bellwether! What´s she doing here?" Nick gasped. "Must have escaped, she was sentenced to jail last time we saw her! I´ll go and see what´s going on!" Judy was eager to find out her intentions there. "If she tries to attack you, I´m right behind you", Nick followed calmly. As Judy approached the table, Bellwether didn´t seem to notice her at all. "I thought you were supposed to sit behind bars", the rabbit asked. "The jailtime is over. The rest of my sentence is probation", the sheep answered rather quietly. "Hopefully you won´t do anything dirty this time, or I´ll make you regret it", Judy snapped. "You already have", Bellwether said in a tone which surprised Judy totally. As she looked up to her, Judy could see that something was different. She didn´t see any deviousness or anger in Bellwether´s face, but rather guilt and regret. "I almost destroyed the harmony of the city when I was in power. Innocents almost died, and prejudice was about to take over", she said. "Well thankfully nobody did. And to be fair, without you we wouldn´t have become heroes in the city", Nick remembered the moment when he distracted the sheep by pretending to go savage. "I wanted to rule the city...because of what I became. I used to be like you, Judy", Bellwether said with sadness increasing in her voice. "Me?" Judy was surprised. Was this really the same Bellwether that tried to get her killed? "I was a small prey like you, bossed around by bigger animals and having distrust towards predators. While you coped with the situation and threw the prejudices away, they took me over and turned me into something horrible. I wanted attention and revenge towards my oppressors..only to realize that I became an oppressor too, except worse", the sheep kept on going. "That´s true", Judy said. "But I should´ve known better. During my stay in jail, I had time to think on what I had done. I heard everything on how prejudice eventually was dying down, and hearing about the love you two had for each other made me realize how wrong I was about predators to begin with", Bellwether´s voice was breaking with sadness. "Everybody makes mistakes. I´ve broken several police rules in my life too, like when I solved your plot", Judy was beginning to understand. "You did them because you wanted to save the people in the city, regardless of the obstacles on your path. I did everything because of my selfishness and grudge. Now I regret it all. I´m not asking you to understand...just asking to forgive me", Bellwether started to cry. Nick Wilde was surprised too. This was just like when Judy apologized for the press conference. "You were once a good sheep, and you just got lost. You can still be the good mammal again, if you really try", Judy was tearing up a bit, seeing how genuine Bellwether sounded in her regret. "Then it´s true what they say, every mammal has a heart. Please, forgive me!" Bellwether sobbed as Judy hugged her. "You sheep, so emotional. You are forgiven", the rabbit said. Nick smiled in surprised delight, for he had never seen Judy forgive an enemy before. "I wish I´ve had a friend like you from the start, so none of this would´ve happened", the former mastermind wiped tears off her face. "Nah, I don´t bear a grudge towards you at all. Start a new life after your sentence ends, and make amends. Maybe I can help a bit too", Judy encouraged her. "Yes...oh, it´s about time. I´ve gotta go, I have to meet up with my probation officer. A very nice and handsome gentleman of a wolf who I´ve gotten to know very well", Bellwether blushed in admitting that. "First us, then a wolf and a sheep. Looks like we have started a trend of natural enemies becoming soul mates", Nick laughed. "Sounds wonderful. I hope we meet again someday. Maybe we can get to know each other better again?" Judy thought. "Certainly. See you soon", Bellwether hugged Judy again, before leaving. The sheep´s face had brightened up as a new leaf was turning in her life. Judy and Nick left the corner, and went to make their order in the café. "Forgiving our greatest enemy...wow Judy, I´m impressed", Nick said. "Well I did the same with Gideon Grey back then, remember?" Judy said as she was making reservations. "Yes, but he was just a simple bully. That woolhead was a serious threat to the entire city. It takes courage to forgive someone like that", Nick thought. "When you see sincerity and good in others, regardless of who they are, there is always hope for redemption. Kindness begets kindess, that´s what I´ve been taught since I was a little girl", Judy said. "I´m proud of you, Carrots", Nick hugged his wife. If Judy was capable of such kindness and understanding towards others, married life with her seemed to just get better and better. The two sit down on the café, and spent the rest of the afternoon there enjoying their coffee and ice cream. Category:Comfort fics Category:Stories about Bellwether